Kick Of A Pistol
by amises-weallfalldown
Summary: In a last-ditch attempt to fix himself, Tony broke up with Clint. The archer, feeling broken, left. Six months later, he's coming home. How will it affect the team? How will it affect Tony? IronHawk slash. Clint-centric. Past Clint/Natasha. - Temp Hiatus For Personal Reasons.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Hey, guys! Um, so, this is my first story. I'm not sure how long this is gonna be yet, so please bare with me, if you will. **

**Anyway... Given the fact that this is Clint Barton and Tony Stark, there will be swearing. Possibly lots of.**

**This is a slash story for the IronHawk pairing.**

**I apologize for any OOCness. **

**I own nothing.**

**Last thing, a lot of this chapter is in italics. Those are flashbacks of sorts.**

* * *

_Was I naïve to think that you loved me?_  
_Was it silly to feel like this was really real?_  
_How could I think you and I could have everything?  
It was a foolish thing for me to believe._

* * *

Prologue:

_Clint laughed again, reaching out and placing his hand lightly on top of Tony's. "How are you so perfect?" he asked with a wide grin on his face. It was his and Tony's first date and he couldn't be happier. The genius was actually good company and he was having a lot of fun. "Seriously, I didn't think it was possible to be as amazing as you."_

_Tony smirked and leaned forward over the table. "It's a secret, Robin Hood. You're gonna have to work harder than that to get it out of me." Clint leaned forward, too, so that their faces were only inches apart._

"_Is that so, Stark?" Tony nodded. "What can I do to find out?"_

Clint pulled the trigger again, the bullet soaring through the air until it ripped through the paper target on the other side of the room. He reloaded and shot again.

_Tony pulled Clint up from his seat, dragging him onto the dance floor. They'd been going out for a few months now and things were going smoothly. Clint didn't seem to be having commitment issues get in the way of anything. They were _happy.

_'What happened?'_ Clint thought as he shot the gun again, glaring at the paper target the bullets seemed to just tear through.

_Tony smiled as Clint opened the gift like an excited child. It was their first Christmas together. They'd been dating for eight months without a hitch. Clint's face lit up as he saw the brand new Stark Industries bow, personalized just for him. With a wide grin, he smacked his lips against Tony's in excitement. Tony lifted a hand to Clint's cheek and stroked it gently with his thumb. "I love you, Clint Barton." he said, staring into the archer's eyes. It was the first time he had said that._

_Clint's eyes widened slightly, but his smile just got bigger as he pulled Tony in for another kiss. "I love you too." he mumbled against Tony's mouth._

Full of anger and hatred, Clint shot the target again. He was making good progress, certain he must've emptied three clips into that thing already.

_Tony looked down at his feet, a small frown on his face when he finally managed to bring his eyes up to Clint. He swallowed hard. "We can't keep doing this, Clint." And just like that, Clint's heart broke. A year and a half of his life wasted with a man who never even loved him. He didn't even say anything; he just walked out and went to the roof to think. He stayed there for hours._

Clint wiped at his eyes with the back of his head before shooting again. It had been six months since Tony dumped him and he hadn't seen any of the team since then – Natasha included. He had gone to Fury when it happened and asked to be transferred, so he was. They were getting ready to ship him back to New York, though. They had given him some lame excuse like his stress leave was over.

Finally ending his shooting spree of sorts, he packed his bag and went home. Due to a lack of options, he would be moving back into Stark Tower and he was honestly scared to have to see Tony again. He didn't think he could handle it. He would try, though, because he knew he was needed in New York.

Clint got on the plane and stared out the window beside him the whole way home.

"_You're leaving?" Tony asked with a frown. "Me breaking up with you wasn't me giving you permission to leave. Stay." Clint just shook his head._

"_I can't, Tony. I can't stay here, not now." The genius pouted. "I'll be back. I just need some time. Take care of yourself."_

Clint wiped at his eyes again as he stared down to the Earth beneath him. It felt just like the flight out there; he had been crying then, too.

"_Director, I need to get out of here. I haven't talked it over with the team, or anything, I just need some time to myself after Tony and I…" His voice trailed off._

"_I can send you out of state for a few months. You're coming back, though. You, as an Avenger, are important here. We need you, Agent Barton."_

Clint frowned as the plane started to land and he started to gather his things. All he had on him was a single duffel bag that held everything he had brought with him. The archer slung the bag over his shoulder and left for base, conflicting emotions visible on his face.

Three hours and a meeting with Fury later, Clint was standing back outside Stark Tower. It was JARVIS who let him in, the robotic voice actually sounding happy as he greeted him. He went straight to his room and unpacked. He could socialize later.

Unfortunately, Natasha came in thirty minutes later. She hugged him and told him he should've called, but that she was just happy he was home.

"I missed you too, Nat," he said quietly, his arms wrapped around her waist. "You know, I've been traveling all day and haven't eaten much. Wanna go to dinner?" Natasha just nodded. The two left.

Two hours later, around ten, they were just getting back. Tony was up and, surprisingly, not in the lab. Clint froze at the sight of the genius and Tony's eyes widened. Natasha wasn't sure what she should do there, so she backed out of the room.

"Clint," Tony breathed out softly. "You're home."


	2. Silver Lining

**Author's Note: Aw, thanks for all the positive feedback last chapter! I appreciate it. I'm glad y'all like it so far.**

**There are more flashbacks, so, again, they're in italics.**

**Read on!**

* * *

_So I left you in the middle of nowhere,  
With not even a phone call home.  
Now I know you aren't worth it.  
You hurt worse than the kick of a pistol._

* * *

Silver Lining:

"_Clint," Tony breathed out softly. "You're home."_

Clint looked down and shifted awkwardly on his feet. The smile that had been on his face when he was with Nat faded quickly. The archer crossed his arms over his chest. He was nowhere near ready for this confrontation. He'd tried getting himself there, but he wasn't. Seeing Tony was about the worst thing for him right now, just as it had been months ago when he first left.

_Clint stared down at the phone in his hands and pressed the send button, lifting it to his ear. It rang once with no answer and then again a second time. Finally, he heard Tony's voice. "Hello?" the genius called dismissively. He was probably in his lab, by how distracted he sounded. Clint didn't say anything; he just hung up and collapsed backwards onto the bed._

Tony frowned. Clint looked really uncomfortable around him. This hadn't been what he wanted. He had only wanted Clint to be okay; he never would've broken up with him if it wasn't what he thought was best. "Welcome back..?" Tony tried in a carefree tone. To Clint, it didn't seem like he even mattered, especially with a dismissive, offhanded greeting like that.

"Thanks," Clint mumbled, shoving his hands awkwardly in his pockets. His eyes were still downcast and he just wanted to avoid looking at Tony. They stood there for a few seconds in silence before Tony spoke up again.

"Are you… crying..?" the genius asked, having heard the small whimper that escaped the archer's lips.

"_You're leaving?" Tony asked with a frown. "Me breaking up with you wasn't me giving you permission to leave. Stay." Clint just shook his head._

"_I can't, Tony. I can't stay here, not now." The genius pouted. "I'll be back. I just need some time. Take care of yourself."_

_Tony frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Come on, Clint. We've all had relationships end. It isn't that big a deal," he said without thinking. It was a big deal to Clint. No one had ever loved him, not really, not like Tony did. Nat didn't even love him like that when they went out._

"_Tony, I wish I could I stay with you. But I just can't," Clint half-squeaked out._

"_Are you… crying..?" Tony asked, approaching Clint and pulling him in for a hug. "Don't cry because of me. I don't want to see you hurt and I don't want it to be my fault."_

_Clint pushed Tony away and wiped at his eyes. "Too late for that, asshole."_

Clint's head shot up and he glared at Tony, who lifted his hands in surrender. "Like _you_ give a damn," the archer spat, shaking his head. "I need to finish unpacking…" he mumbled, walking off without another word and leaving Tony standing in the middle of the room to feel bad.

Clint didn't go to his room and he knew Tony knew that. He walked the complete other direction; the gym. He needed to let off a little steam and that was the place to do it. Unsurprisingly, Steve was already in there laying into a punching bag. Clint smirked at the familiarity at the scene. He whistled at Steve, facial expression lacking the anger that had been there moments before. "Clint," the blond said quietly, "you're home," and if Clint cringed at that, it wasn't on purpose.

"Yeah, I'm home. Nat didn't tell you?" Clint teased. His tone was only slightly off his normal one, but he was sure it wasn't noticeable to anyone he hadn't been around in a while. Unless, of course, that person was Steve Rogers. You could say what you wanted about him and technology, but when it came to his team, he could tell if something was up. It was his job, after all. Steve just stared for a moment before starting to unwrap the fabric around his fists.

"Something's wrong," he pointed out accusingly. "What happened, Clint; what's up?" he asked, concerned. Clint looked slightly hesitant as he shifted on his feet. He really wasn't sure he wanted to talk about it, but this was Steve. He trusted Steve; _everyone_ trusted Captain America. "Does this have something to do with Tony?"

Clint just let out a half-bitter laugh and nodded. "Yeah, you could say that." He walked over and sat down on the edge of the boxing ring, leaning back against the ropes. Steve sat beside him.

"Wanna talk about it?" the blond asked easily. There had been a few times before Clint had gone and talked to Steve instead of Nat, typically when she was on a mission and he didn't have anyone else to go to. Clint paused a moment.

"I should never have said yes in the first place, you know..." the archer mumbled.

_Clint huffed out a breath as he stared at Tony. His arms were crossed over his chest and his jaw was clenched slightly. Tony had been asking him for months to go on a date and he was tired of it. He knew Tony's reputation with the things he referred to as relationships. Clint didn't want to be hurt again; he couldn't go through that, especially with Tony. "Please, Clint," Tony pleaded softly. "This isn't some joke. I'm not gonna leave you in the morning. I seriously want to try this."_

_"Fine," Clint breathed out, though unsure of why. "I'll go out with you."_

Even now, Clint wasn't sure why he'd agreed to it. It was stupid; he _knew_ Tony was only going to hurt him from the start. "You trusted him; you thought you'd be different from everyone else. You were. You lasted almost two years. I think he genuinely loved you. Things could be worse."

Clint scoffed and shot Steve a disbelieving look. "Yeah? _How_? He already broke my heart, ain't that enough?"

"He could've left you standing at the altar."

That one sentence hit Clint hard. After their anniversary, he let himself believe they might make it there. Boy, was he wrong. Tony and his damn commitment issues. They were always going to fail. It wasn't even worth it to try; he knew the outcome before they started. So why did he try? Was it because he loved Tony, or _was_ it because he thought he'd be different?

Clint stood, shooting Steve an appreciative look. "I have to go unpack." And, this time, that's exactly what he did.


End file.
